Melaque Saturday Melaque is a usual Mexican town, lots of restaurants and art and sourvenir shops, but peaceful and not much traffic. Our hotel is a couple of blocks from the beach. We did some more exploring in the town tihis morning, and found a place with hot cakes and eggs for breakfast. Back at the hotel, we settled under a thatched umbrella to read books. Bob found his hammock. A mama yellow lab and her four pups came running by, very cute. The pups were very mischievous and two little guys stole Bob's socks. Bob had taken off his shoes and put his socks on top. Those little pups just took off. We were laughing so hard. The owner chased them down and returned the socks. I put the socks in my lap to keep ... read more

Boca de Tomatlan Thursday Today was a very lazy day. Spent most of the day on the balcony or by the pool, reading and looking for whales. We are both into our mystery books. Later in the afternoon we walked down to Boca for garlic shrimp at the restaurant at the top of the hill, La Ramadita. Very good as usual. We took the bus back and got off at our stop across from the hotel. The artist and his dog were there working in the yard. We talked to him for a while and he showed us some weavings he had made. Made a late dinner at the hotel. Tomorrow we catch the bus to Melaque. It has been a very pleasant, peaceful week here.... read more

Boca de Tomatlan Tuesday Today was our day to visit Mismaloya, less than half-way from our hotel to Puerto Vallarta. We waited at the bus stop across the street. The stop, a small thatched roof area with plants, was built by the artist who has lived up the hill from the stop for over forty years. We have talked to him in previous years, and saw him at the stop this morning. Very friendly older gentleman. Mismaloya Beach and Puerto Vallarta was just a fishing village, known only to locals, until 1963 when John Houston scouted the area for his film Night of the Iguana. The film, the famous director, and the real-life romance between Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor transformed Puerto Vallarta into a Mexican destination The set and crew quarters are up in the ... read more

Boca de Tomatlan Sunday We saw a water taxi going from Boca to Puerto Vallarta this morning while we ate breakfast on the balcony. Later we took the bus into PV, walked around the town and along the Malecon (walk by the ocean). PV seems to be a mix of old and new. Lots of food carts and outdoor booths, old fruit markets, as well as some very fancy, expensive shops and hotels. You can see the mountains in the background, homes up in the hills. Stopped for a snack of fish tacos at an outdoor stand. It has been in the same location for many years and we stop each time we are there. Excellent fish, huge pieces. Walked around the central market, with row upon row of crafts on the main floor, and very ... read more

Boca de Tomatlan Friday After breakfast on the roof, we walked south on the main road. We could see Old (Viejo) Puerto Vallarta in the distance. Walked by a very interesting old building. It was in total disrepair, but would have been gorgeous in its day. Might have at one time been a hotel. The stained glass windows were broken, but we could look inside and see the old stonework, big arches, and a huge curved staircase with a wrought iron railing. Too bad these old gems aren't kept up. Check-out time at our hotel was 11:00am, and we took the bus across from the hotel to our next destination. We're headed down the coast to the Mar Serano Hotel, just north of Boca de Tomatlan. The first bus took us through a couple of tunnels, ... read more